Employment & Labour

Toronto-area employment lawyer Stuart Rudner is frequently called upon by the media to be a trusted source for their news stories, particularly for his focus on employment law matters for both employer and employee clients and mediation in all areas of employment law and labour-related disputes.
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By Arthur Zeilikman . Employers do not have to provide notice of termination or pay in lieu thereof if there was “just cause” to terminate the employee. Just cause exists if the employee has committed a serious act of misconduct such as an act of insubordination or incompetence.
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By Laura Williams . As most employers know, the Ontario Human Rights Code (the Code) prohibits employers from discriminating against any person with respect to their employment based on enumerated grounds such as race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and disability. In this case , a recent decision from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (the HRTO or the Tribunal), the HRTO addressed whether it is discriminatory for an employer to dismiss an employee for failing to comply with reporting obligations under the employer’s attendance policy where the employee’s absences were caused by a disability. While this decision largely affirms the existing state of the law, it also demonstrates the value of maintaining prudent policies and clarifies the circumstance in which employers can rely on the breach of such policies to dismiss employees without it being discriminatory.
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By Barry B. Fisher . In this case , Pollak J. had a situation where a 10-year employee went on STD and then LTD in 2012. In 2014, the insurer found that the employee was permanently disabled from performing both his own and any occupation. One year later, the employer reviewed the file and concluded that the contract had become frustrated, terminated him and paid him his ESA minimums.
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By Amelia Phillips . Formerly, the Employment Standards Act , 2000, S.O. 2000, c. 41 (the ESA) did not require an employer to compensate a part-time, temporary, casual or contract employee the same as full-time employees doing substantially similar work. Bill 148, which introduced a number of significant updates to the ESA, has changed that.
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The best time for mediation in an employment dispute depends on the circumstances of the case, Toronto employment lawyer and mediator Stuart Rudner tells AdvocateDaily.com , who spends a significant portion of his practice acting as a mediator.
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